Nationwide Adds Samsung To Warehouse Program

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Samsung TVs and DVD players are now available to Nationwide Marketing Group (NMG) members through the buying organization's Warehouse Direct program.

As previously reported in TWICE, Samsung is among the latest vendors to join the group's fulfillment and distribution program, which is operated by distributors Almo, DSI and SED International.

Each of the new programs will be fulfilled by SED, including Samsung LCD and plasma TVs and DVD and Blu-ray players.

"As a new vendor partner, Samsung will create and enable NMG members to offer one of the leading brands in their marketplace that will also attract new shoppers to their stores," said Mike Decker, Nationwide's electronics marketing VP. "Through Direct Nationwide at SED, one of NMG's strategic fulfillment partners, members can now order products from multiple power brands, such as Samsung, combined into one shipment and delivered within 48 hours."

SED's Tom Roper, CE VP and general merchandise manager, added, "The addition of Samsung to the Warehouse Direct lineup will give Nationwide members the strongest consumer electronics lineup in the U.S. Combining Samsung's leading market share position with Nationwide's retail strength will drive more consumers through member stores."

Other brands available through Warehouse Direct at SED include Bell'O, Broksonic, JVC, Omnimount, RCA, SLS and Universal Remote Control.

Warehouse Direct at SED provides same-day shipping, up to 90 days free flooring through Nationwide's DirectPlus! program and five locations to serve member dealers throughout the United States. Nationwide members can reach Warehouse Direct at SED at (800) 549-8220.

In other Nationwide news, the group is releasing an updated version this month of MemberNet TV, its proprietary HD content for in-store TV displays, that will include reduced pricing and new content choices.

The three-year-old program, developed by Nationwide, Iowa Labs and the Bryant Group, distributes content to members over the Internet and delivers it via a TV set-top box.

"We knew that many of our members did not have access to the content needed to properly display TV features," said executive VP Les Kirk. "We saw what competitors were doing and realized we could create something even better."

MemberNet TV includes content ranging from product commercials to sales training segments. A calendar allows the user to easily select the time, day and duration each program runs. For example, a member dealer may choose to run a sales training video every morning before the store opens and in the afternoon run an HD color commercial alongside a Hollywood movie trailer.